


When We Decided I'd Swim For You (if it ever came to that)

by baka_tsumibito



Series: The Ways in Which We Realized What We Needed (it was you) [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: "Swim for me", Canon-Compliant, Day 1, First Kiss, Firsts, M/M, Post Season 2, a flame that kindles in your heart, a sea of light that spreads endlessly, airport, rinharuweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-22
Updated: 2014-11-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 14:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2654888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baka_tsumibito/pseuds/baka_tsumibito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An airport goodbye where Haru realizes that swimming for someone important doesn't have to restrain his freedom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When We Decided I'd Swim For You (if it ever came to that)

Rin is the last person Haru will ever agree to swim for.

(Incidentally, he’s also the first person to ever ask – but that has nothing to do with it, Haru tells himself.)

 

* * *

 

It had taken him a long time to agree.

It wasn’t just last year, when Haru had found himself pinned to a fence, rejecting the statement—Rin hadn’t even bothered to ask, just commanded, to which Haru had felt forced to extricate himself from. The request had come four years too late, after all.

(Maybe even three.)

During Nationals, Haru could have sworn the scene had almost been repeated. Rin hadn’t directly asked Haru to swim competitively for him, but Haru had felt the sentiment echo over every inch of his being. Rin wanted _him_ , of course Rin _wanted_ him, but when had Haru ever been ready to throw away his _free_ dom just like that?

Even this time, he felt inclined to disagree. Run away once and for all, knowing that he might potentially do some harm to both of them, but this was the safest way to keep his sense of _self_ safe—

Hurting Rin at this point in time would be equivalent to smashing his whole future with his bare hands. Rin would go to Australia, he’d be leaving again, leaving Iwatobi leaving _Haru_ again – and then he fail and wouldn’t be able to swim and it would have been Haru’s fault Haru’s sharp words Haru’s—

 

“Yes.”

 

How could an emotion feel so contradictory? If Rin wasn’t around to swim with him, the water was dull, but peaceful (how he preferred). By agreeing to Rin’s terms, he was submitting himself to someone’s rule, chaining himself down and throwing away the key

 

(because Rin would never let him take back those words, if he ever wanted too).

 

* * *

 

_“Haru… please, promise me something.”_

_“… why?”_

_“It’s just—I – just listen, okay?”_

_“…”_

_“Promise me… that if something happens in University, if something goes wrong while I’m in Australia, you…you won’t quit swimming this time.”_

_“…why?”_

_“I… I told you already, didn’t I!? If you’re not there, I don’t really know where I’m aiming for. So, if—if something happens while I’m away, and you leave the team, please… please keep swimming until I can get back and show you a sight that’ll make you want to stay.”_

_‘Swim for me’_

_“…”_

_I…_

 

* * *

 

How stupid.

As Rin stood in front of him, a grin blooming on his face and his eyes regaining their shine, Haru gruffly turned his head away. He exhaled.

He’d done it, he’d finally allowed himself to get chained down to an individual, something he’d been avoiding for so long. The fear that usually accompanied the idea of lacking freedom began to bubble up, and Haru desperately tampered those thoughts down. It wasn’t a huge, life-changing promise. What were the chances of him totally hating competitive swimming on a University level? Maybe Rin was completely off the mark, and there was nothing to worry about.

Except the fact still remained that Haru had just pledged himself to _swim_ for somebody (swim for something other than his own needs). A chill ran through his body. This wasn’t ever supposed to happen.

 

But…. If it was Rin, then maybe…

 

… maybe ~~they’d~~ he’d make it out okay.

(After all, who was the one who had written _“… I found my other shining. If we are able to fly together, then a sea of light that spreads out endlessly—”_?)

 

* * *

 

“Rin.”

Said individual tilted his head with a playful lilt, joy still evident in his features. Haru did his best to ignore the slight palpitations in his chest, and pushed on.

“Let’s go.”

“…hauh?” Gone was the gleeful expression, and in came the frowny, sarcastic boy he had come to know over the past two years. “Haru, what do you think you’re saying? Don’t you realize—”

“Swim with me one last time before you go back to Australia,” Haru said stubbornly.

Rin only smiled at him sadly instead, and told him: “But my flight’s going to leave in twenty minutes.”

Haru stared back blankly for a second, before processing the airport in which they were standing in. He’d taken the pack slung around Rin’s shoulders to be his usual gear, and had chosen not to see the decently sized suitcase half-hidden behind Rin’s muscular legs.

He didn’t want this to be reality. Rin was supposed to be swimming with him from here on out, because the water felt too calm without him. Rin wasn’t supposed to go back to Australia without him anymore—

“Haru? I’m standing right here you know.” Rin was frowning again, a concerned look in his eyes. If he was telling the truth, than this would very well be the last time Haru saw him for who knows how long.

It was hard to process.

 _It’s still not enough_.

 

* * *

 

Maybe it was because he hadn’t been paying enough attention. It wasn’t Rin’s first huge move, but it was his, and even Makoto’s.

Maybe it was because Makoto would still be living in the same city as him that he’d chosen to forget that Rin wouldn’t be so close anymore (because he’d somehow managed to mistaken that even if their futures were similar, it didn’t mean they’d live closer than two best friends choosing different career paths).

Regardless of what it was, Haru didn’t want to waste the last few ~~precious~~ moments they’d have before more than an ocean would separate them;

( _It would be significantly more land, a language, the water, the_ world _)._

Except—

“This is the final call for all passengers on flight 1120 to Sydney, Australia. Please proceed to gate 14 immediately….”

\-- their time had just ran out.

 

Rin offered him another sad smile and a wave before turning to leave.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t supposed to be happening like this.

Not that it hadn’t ever happened before, but it almost felt like the first time Rin was voluntarily choosing to leave Haru behind. Haru wanted to reach out, maybe grab the back of Rin’s dark hoodie and somehow convince him to stay for just a bit longer.

As it stood, he was frozen in place, helplessly watching each step Rin took—

(each step that took him exponentially further away)

(until)

“—Haru!”

Haru’s eyes widened; Rin wasn’t looking at him, but had stopped in his tracks and tensed his shoulders.

“I’ll be sure to set you on fire next time too, so you’d better prepare yourself!”

Haru felt the flame kindle in his heart that very second.

 

They were done wasting time.

 

Haru quickly crossed the space between them, spinning a bewildered Rin around to bring them face to face. Close up, he could read the shock between Rin’s eyebrows, and even the slightest bit of _pleasure_ at having been stopped.

“You…you’re not allowed to give up, Rin!” Haru bit his lip nervously, a previously non-existent habit. That hadn’t been what he was trying to say. All he wanted….. all Haru wanted to convey was Rin’s importance to him. Why was it so hard.

Even confused, Rin’s expression was _soft_ as he brought his hand up to gently extricate Haru’s lip from his blunt teeth. He smoothed over the reddened surface with a fingertip before replying.

“Let’s have our first official race soon, then.”

It shouldn’t have meant so much.

It shouldn’t, but it did as Haru’s eyes lit up with excitement. Swimming with the exhilaration he had felt in Australia, but with Rin on the international stage—

Too much stimulation.

Haru couldn’t catch himself before shooting forward to brush Rin’s mouth with his own, a hand still resting on his chin (but resting became holding steadily and then tugging when Rin realized his intention).

They couldn’t stand there, wrapped up in each other’s embrace, for long. All too soon, Rin was pulling back and grabbing on to his suitcase for the sprint to his gate. But before he could go, he reached forward for one last touch of lips, eyes glinting.

As he ran off, Haru caught the tears, and wondered how Rin would cope on his flight.

Hopefully, he’d get to find out this time. Maybe Rin would send him a proper letter.

 

* * *

 

Their first kiss happened in the middle of a crowded airport, but Rin upholds that it’s still romantic, being kissed before an impending separation.

Haru turns his head away, embarrassed, but internally starts wondering how to make the rest of their firsts as romantic as he can (all for Rin’s sake, of course).


End file.
